Excavator



July 27, 1943. v. MIKAN 2,325,336

EXCAVATOR Filed Feb. 27, 1941 METER M/A/V PatentedJuly 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE: a r aszasac if":

EXCAVATOR VictorMikan, Durand, Mich. V Application February 27, 1941, Serial No. 380,780 *2 Claims. (01.37-135) Q The present invention relates to drag line ditchers and m ore particularly to a drag line ditcher designed to be self-centering and straight line operating in use.

Priorartdrag line ditchers have been provided with the excavating lip thereof either flat or substantially fiat, with the result that in operation, it is an exceedingly difficult matter to dig a straight ditch. According to the present invention, this difiiculty has been eliminated by providing a drag line ditcher having an excavating bucket providedwith a substantially semicircular bottom and a substantially semi-circular excavating lip. With a construction designed in this manner, the ditcher not only provides its own clearance, but in use it is self-centering and digs a ditch automatically in a straight line.

An object of the invention is to provide a selfcentering drag line ditcher. I I

Another object of the invention is to provide a drag line ditcher having an excavating lip which curves upwardly from the lowermost point thereof to points on opposite sides of the ditcher, substantially above the lowermost point.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a drag line ditcher having a semi-circular bottom and excavating lip.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide a drag line ditcher having the excavating lip thereof disposed in advance of the bucket and radially outwardly therefrom.

These and other objects residing in the arrangement, combination and construction of the parts will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof showing the same digging into dirt, I

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the invention, and v Fig. 4 is a front view of the invention, showing it disposed in a ditch dug by it.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1' of the drawing, illustrating in perspective a drag line ditcher according to the present invention, the reference character I indicates a bucket having sides, a bottom, and a closed end 2. At the open end of the bucket I, there is provided an excavating lip member 3 in the form of a ring, having sides 4 and 5, a bottom 6 and an arch I bridging the sides 4 and 5, the arch 1 having securedthereto a bracket 8, to which is connected a supporting cable 9.

The excavating lip member 3 is provided at the forward edge thereof with an excavating lip IO.

The excavating lip II] is semicircular in shape and is provided about the periphery thereof with excavating teeth II. Portions of each side of the arch I overhang the excavating lip Ill, andare provided withholes I2 by means of which dragging chains I3 are secured to the structure.

The sides 4 and 5 and bottom 6 of the excavating lip member 3, as a group, are preferably semi circular in cross section, having the same curvature as the excavating lip I0. Also, the bucket I is semi-circular in cross sectional configuration, and nests within the excavating lip member 3. Thus, the excavating lip member 3 constitutes an extension of the bucket I and the excavating lip I0 is radially disposed outwardly from the line of the bucket I. The bucket I has secured to the sides thereof brackets M to which are connected lifting chains I5 in a manner well known in the art.

three skids I6 which project radially from the bottom of the bucket I and diverge downwardly and rearwardly. The skids I5 support the rear portion of the bucket I from th ground and tip the ditcher downwardly and forwardly so as to direct the teeth II on the excavating lip I0 into the earth tocause the same to bite into the earth when the ditcher is dragged forwardly by the chains I3. I

In operation, the ditcher is supported by the lifting chains I5 and the supporting cable 9 from a derrick, not shown, in a manner well understood in the art and it is dragged forwardly by the chains I3 along the path of the ditch to be dug. As shown in Fig. 2 the skids I6 direct the teeth II downwardly at an angle so that they bite into the earth I'I. When the bucket is filled, the ditcher is lifted from the ditch being dug by the lifting chains I5 and supporting cable 9 and is dumped by the manipulation of the supporting cable 9 in a manner well known by those skilled in the art. V

In using the ditcher according to the present invention, it will be clear from Fig. 4,that the ditcher will center itself in the bottom of a ditch being dug, due to the curvature of the bottom of the ditcher, and the resulting curvature of the bottom of the ditch which it digs. This feature is important because prior art ditchers having a substantially fiat bottom will not center especially when through some avoidable circumstance, the ditch being dug has a portion wider than the width of theditcher, although even under favorable circumstances they tend to wander to one side. The centering accomplished by the present Secured to the. underside of the bucket I are invention will not only result in digging a ditch of uniform width, but will also result in the ditch following a straight line. Furthermore, the fact that the excavating lip 10 and the teeth I I therefor extend up the sides of the ditcher, results in the ditcher'providing its own clearance, as it is used.

From the foregoing specification, it will be apparent that while the disclosed cross sectional shape of the bucket l, the excavatinggliprnember 3 and the excavating lip i!) provide astructure which operates as described, it is'not essential that the curvature be that of a true semi-circle,

as other forms of bottom curves of a relatively small radius will provide the same result.

Having thus described my invention, What Ide sire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is:

relation along the full length of the same, whereby the tendency of the ditcher to deviate from a straight line in operation is restrained.

2. A drag line ditcher comprising an excavating bucket having side walls, a bottom, a closed end, and an open end, said bucket being of substantially uniform width throughout its length, said open end having an excavating lip member at least a portion of the cross section of which correspondsto the cross section of said bucket, s'aid bucket being supported in said excavating lip member'in at least partial overlapping relation therewith, said excavating member com- "prising an extension of said bucket from said open .iend, and an excavating lip on said excavating lip member at the outer end thereof, said lip having substantially vertical and parallel side portions and a; generally semicylindric'a1 bottom portion curved upwardly to meet said side portions, said lip having a plurality of teeth arranged in spaced relation along the full length of the same, Where- -by the tendency of the ditcher to deviate from a straight line in operation is restrained, I

' VICTOR MIKAN. 

